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.-.«, ■ ■■■■■■■■■■mHHHBHHHMKhHHHI HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL Cooking with Cointreau Special to the Journal This New Year’s Eve you can show off their culinary skills, and impress your guests with these innova tive Cointreau recipes cre ated by New York based food stylist and artist Nir Adar. New English Mle Layered with lemon orange curd, vanilla creme fraiche and winter berries, this trifle is an impressive offering for dessert. If you don’t have a trifle dish, they’re available in most housewares departments and aren’t expensive at all. 1/4 cup chilled unsalted but ter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 3 large egg yolks 3 large whole eggs 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Cointreau 2 1/2 cups sugar 3 tablespoons, freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice zests of 1 lemon and 1 orange - 1 pint each: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, rinsed and trimmed 1 cup water 14 oz. sponge cake, cut into 1 inch cubes 7 oz. cr£me fraiche 1 vanilla bean fresh mint sprigs for garnish Make citrus curd: over double boiler, whisk together butter, egg yolks and whole eggs, 1/2 cup Cointreau, 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons each lemon and orange juices. When mixture has thickened to texture of loose pud ding, remove from heat and strain. Stir in zests of lemon and orange. Set aside in refrigerator to cool. Mash berries in mixture oi 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 table spoon Cointreau. Make a simple-syrup by combining 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 1/2 cup Cointreau. Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Drizzle sponge cake with syrup.. Whip creme fraiche with scraped vanilla bean until thickened and form ing soft peaks. In a clear glass trifle dish, layer each component. Garnish with fresh mint. English Cut Beef Short Ribs Slow cooked with red wine and Cointreau, these short ribs are served English style, and are easy to prepare. 4 lbs. English cut beef short ribs 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1 cup beef stock 1 bottle fruity red wine 1/2 cup Cointreau 2 thick slices orange peel 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 cinnamon stick 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 2 tablespoons mixed pepper corns 1 tablespoon, unsalted but ter Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown ribs with oil in an oven- proof pan over high heat. Add stock, wine, Cointreau, orange See Page 14C WBgpr W tJkjl Happy New Year! GottNyttAr! Felize Ano Nuevo! Bonne Annee! Felice Anno Nuovo! Gelukkige Nuwejaar! A FEAST FOR THE NEW YEAR For many Christians, espe cially Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherans, the Christmas holidays end on January 6, Epiphany. Therefore, New Year’s Day is the eighth day of Christmas. (I doubt my husband will give me eight maids-a milking since live stock is not allowed inside the city limits.) For the rest of us, New Yvonne —— Sutherland yvonnes@windstream.net Year’s Day is the grand finale to the holiday season Like Christmas customs, New Year’s celebrations differ from country to country and region to region. In many parts of Northern Europe, pickled herring must be eaten on New Year’s Eve. (There’s no accounting for taste.) The French eat onion soup after midnight; it is believed to cure the excesses of the eve ning before. Italians toss old things out of their windows to symbolize their readiness for the New Year; they eat lentils for luck. Spaniards always have twelve grapes in their hand at midnight. One grape must be eaten on each chime of the clock and all twelve finished before it stops chim ing! In Australia and South Africa, New Year’s Day falls at the beginning of summer so picnics and beach excur sions are the order of day. Americans eat black-eyed peas for luck and greens for wealth in the coming year. In the North, they eat cabbage often with corned beef. Here, we eat collard greens. When I was child, my favorite part of eating greens was the “pot liquor.” I especially liked it with cornbread. Now, I just make collard soup. Why leave all that goodness in the pot? Collard Green Soup 3 strips hickory-smoked bacon, chopped olive oil 1 onion, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped 2 1/2 quarts chicken broth 8 ounces good quality, pre cooked smoked sausage, cut into small pieces 2 medium rutabagas, turnips or potatoes, cubed 2 pounds collard greens, stems removed and cut into small strips salt and pepper to taste Idaho Potato Commission Er w fV pi? ■wSSS'*-- Igg «■ Journal/Charlotte Perkins Hoppin’ John is a New Year’s Day essential. The classic Southern dish is served here with Cranberry-Glazed Pork Roast hot pepper sauce Cook the bacon in a large soup kettle until it begins to render its fat. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent. (If the veg etables begin to stick, add a bit of olive oil.) Add the chicken broth, sausage, rutabagas (or turnips or potatoes) and collard greens. Cook about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are done. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (If it is not “soupy” enough, add water or additional broth.) Serve with the hot pepper sauce on the side and your favorite cornbread. Cranberry-Glazed Pork Roast I recently had dinner at Montezuma’s Traveler’s Rest and was served a won derful chicken breast stuffed with cranberry dressing and topped with a cranberry glaze. I went searching for something similar for New Year’s day and found this at otherwhitemeat .com One potato...two potato... By CHARLOTTE PERKINS Journal Staff Writer The sweet potato has gotten plenty of attention lately. It’s time for some of those delicious russet potatoes - the big ones that make such great mashed potatoes and fries and hashbrowns, and bake so beautifully. Here are some recipes from the Idaho Potato Commission, and they ought to know! Baked Mashed Potatoes With Cheese Cooking spray 8 cups Idaho mashed potatoes (can use leftover potatoes) 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 cup sour cream 1 cup small curd cottage cheese 2-4 pound boneless pork roast 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons orange juice 1 16-oz. can whole cranberry sauce Combine the cornstarch, cinnamon, salt in a small saucepan. Stir in the orange juice and cranberry sauce. Cook and stir over medium heat until it is thickened. Set the glaze aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pork roast in a shallow pan and spoon 1/2 cup cranberry glaze over it. Roast 45 minutes to an hour, bast ing occasionally with addi tional sauce, until the meat thermometer reads 155-160 degrees. Let rest 10 minutes before carving. Serve with additional cranberry sauce. Hoppin' John 1 cup small dried black-eyed peas 5 to 6 cups water dried hot pepper (optional) 1 smoked ham hock I medium onion, chopped WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26 2007 ♦ 5 green onions, finely chopped 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 1 1/2-qt. casserole with cooking spray. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine potatoes, egg, sour cream, cottage cheese and onions at medium speed. Spoon potato mixture into casserole dish. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake 30 minutes. Baked Stuffed Potatoes A baked stuffed potato will make the simplest meal seem special. Try them with meatloaf or barbecued chicken. 4 large Idaho Potatoes (8 -10 ounces each) 1 teaspoon olive oil (optional, for a softer skinned potato) See Page 14C 1 cup long-grain white rice Wash the peas and discard any bad ones. Put the peas in a sauce pan and add the water, pepper, ham hock, and onion. Gently boil the peas until soft but not mushy about 1 1/2 hours. (You should still have about two cups liquid.) Add the rice and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Do not raise the lid. Let it sit for another 10 minutes and stir before serving. Eggnog Cheesecake Crust: 1 1/2 cups, graham cracker crumbs 3 tablespoons melted butter 2 tablespoons sugar Butter a 9-inch spring form pan and pat the crumb mixture over bottom and 1 inch up the side. Chill. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Filling 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened 1 cup eggnog 1 teaspoon vanilla 3/4 cup sugar 3 eggs I tablespoon rum (or 1 tea spoon rum flavoring) nutmeg Beat the cheese until it is very smooth. Add the egg nog gradually, beating con stantly. Add the sugar and vanilla, mixing well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Do not overbeat. Stir in the rum or rum extract. Pour the filling into the crust and sprinkle it generously with nutmeg. Bake until the top of tje cake is dry to touch, about 45-50 minutes. Cool the cake at room temperature for 1 hour. Run a spatula around the sides to loosen. Chill several hours before serving. Run a spatula around the side again and remove the side of the spring form pan. P S. A new tradition in our family is to watch the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra per form their yearly New Year’s Day program of Strauss Waltzes. It is aired here by Georgia Public Television so watch your TV schedule and hope it doesn’t conflict with a football game. Watching it together makes for a very romantic evening. 1C